Lewis h



L. H. WILLIAMS.

TRACK OR OTHER RAISING AND LOWERING DEVICE. .598. Patented Now Z7 (No Model.)

iiiexli fimo N. PETERS. PholmLlkhognphnn Washinglnn. D. C,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEWIS H. W'ILLIAMS, OF WISNER, NEBRASKA.

TRACK OR OTHER RAISING AND LOWERING DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 393,598, dated November 27, 1888.

Application filed April 4, 1883. Serial No. 269,565.

.To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEWIS H. W ILLIAMS, a citizen of the United States, residing at \Vis ner, in the county of Ouming and State of Nebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices for Raising and Lowering Tracks and other Articles; and I do hereby declare the following to bea full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to an improved construction of track-lifter adapted to raise railroad-rails from the ground up to and onto a bridge or other elevated road-bed, said apparatus being constructed to serve as a gage whereby as said rails are raised they will be brought to the appropriate position for setting without the necessity of shifting or adjusting the rails in position after they are raised to the road-bed. The apparatus is adapted for simultaneously raising the pair of rails constituting a track, is made of suitable size to adapt it to either broad or narrow gage roads, as required, and can be equally well used for raising sunken or other tracks on the ordinary permanent way for purposes of repair, 850., and also for raising portions of wooden bridges, as hereinafter explained.

The apparatus, briefly described, comprises one or a plurality, as the case may be, according to exigencies, of frames each composed of a series of metal beams or wooden joists or timbers bolted or otherwise secured together, so as to form a lower upright central supporting portion braced at its bottom, a longitudinal timber resting upon and bolted to the topof the depending supporting portion of the frame and extending a suitable distance beyond the same on both sides, angular bracebeams on each side and connected, respectively, to the ends of the top beam and the bottom and side members of the lower portion of the frame, screws extending vertically through and adapted to reciprocate within suitable bearings in the top piece or beam of the frame, said screws being positioned therein so as to accurately gage the proper distance between the track-rails, tongs or clamps connected to the bottoms of said screws through the mediation of connecting-chains, and devices engag- (No model.)

ing said screws to raise and lower the same and the thereto connected tongs.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a perspective view of'a portion of a wooden railroad-bridge with my improved apparatus in position thereon, this View indicating the adaptability of my apparatus for raising, respectively, one end of a pair of rails constituting a track either with or without the longitudinal timbers of the bridge. Fig. 2 represents my apparatus in its adaptation to the simultaneous raising at both ends of a pair of rails and the automatic setting thereof in position. Fig. 3 represents a detail view of one of the rail raising and lowering devices.

The frame or support carrying the rail or bridge lifting and lowering devices is of portable construction, in order that it may readily be transported from place to place, as desired, and readily and expeditiously placed in and removed from operative position, so that the entire device can be readily handled by the track-hands from place to place along the road according to requirements, and rigged up Without the aid of mechanism and without the necessity of construction at the points where such lifting or lowering mechanism is needed.

The frame is composed of a series of timbers suitably bolted or otherwise connected together,and on the faces or parts subj eat to wear sheathed with metal. The supporting-member of the frame consists of a pair of vertical uprights, 1 2, braced or connected together at their bottom ends by a longitudinal timber or beam, 3, either of metal or of wood, preferably sheathed with metal on its under face, as at 4, to protect the same from abrasion and wear in use. To the upper ends of the uprights 1 2 1s bolted or otherwise secu red a longitudinal ti n1- ber or beam, 5, which is of a length to admit of its extending beyond each upright 1 2 a suitable distance, according to requirement. This too longitudinal beam, if of wood, is preferably sheathed with metal on its upper face, as shown at 6, to protect the same from wear.

7 8 represent side braces,which are attached on both sides of the structure, and at their upper ends, as at 9, to the outer ends of the top beam, and at their bottom ends to the bottom timber or beam, 3, as shown at 10, and intermediately thereof, as at 11, to the uprights 1 2, said braces extending, as represented, in an angular direction from the top 5 to the bottom beams, 23, in the form of a V, and rigidly bracing the several parts of the frame 5 together.

While I desire it to bc distinctly understood that I do not confine myself to any particular dimensions of the several parts heretofore mentioned, still it may, perhaps, be well to state that in practice I have found the following dimensions of lumber suitable in the construction of my frame-work, viz: \Vhen the device is to be used in connection with widegage roads, I have formed the uprights 1. 2 of T5 beams of about four feet in length or height and three by six inches in thickness; the bottom beam, 8, two and one-third feet long and three by six inches thick; the top beam, 5, six feet long and three by six inches thick, while for narrow-gage roads I have found it desirable to construct the uprights 1 2 and braces of similar dimensions to those above men tioned, the bottom beam, however, being of about five feet in length. Hardwood lumber is of course employed in the construction of the several parts of the framing where wood is used in constructing the frame; but metal may be employed throughout or in part.

12 12 represent holes formed in and extending vertically through the top beam, 5, a dis tance of four feet eleven inches apart when the frame is adapted for use in connection with wide-gage roads, and three feet eleven inches apart when adapted for use on narrow-gage roads. The inner circumference or side walls of these holes may either be plane-faced, or they may be scrcwthreaded or have a threadcd metallic lining, 18, in which lifting-screws 14, passed through said holes 12, may recip- 0 rocate. These liftingscrews, as represented in the drawings, are each formed with a ring or eye, 15, on its lower end, which depends beneath the top beam, 5, and between the pair of brace-beams on opposite sides of the frame,

5 each pair of said brace-beams thereby serving as a guide to the screw between the same in its vertical movements and preventing the rotation thereof and of the ring or eye on its lower end, and consequently also preventing the rotation of the grappling and gripping devices connected to said ring.

16 represents a lever, bar, wheel, or equivalent device having acentral vertical threaded hole, 17, therein, the threads therein being of reverse order to the threads on the screw.

These levers, bars, or wheels are, as represented, engaged with the upper ends of the liftingscrcws, which project upward above the top face of the top beam, 5. Consequently, as

50 said levers, bars, &c., are turned in one direction they will r aise the screws 14, and the thereto connected gripping devices and the rails, &c., grasped thereby, and when turned in the reverse direction will lower the same.

21 represents lugs or arms formed on and projecting from said levers or bars 16, and constituting hand-grasps, by means of which the workmen may rotate said levers, and thus raise or lower the screws let. To the ring or eye 15 on each screw is attached a chain, 18,

the ends of which depend therefrom and are connected to the upper arms, 19, of a pair of grappling and gripping tongs, 20, the jaws of which are ofa form to permit of their grasping and firmly gripping the rail or other article it is desired to raise or lower. By connecting the grappling and gripping tongs and the lifting screw together by chain-connection said tongs and the thereto connected article to be raised or lowered will be susceptible of automatic adjustment in position, so as to avoid any obstacles that may lie in the path of the vertical movement thereof, this flexible chaiuconnection between the screws and tongs also permitting of the suspended rail, &-c., being readily adjusted in any position desired by hand, thereby avoiding the necessity of shifting rails, &c., after they have been deposited on the road bed. By mounting the screws in the top beam, 5, the exact distance apart of the space between the rails of a track,according to its gage, each rail of a track can be raised or lowered simultaneously, and the deposit of the rails upon the road-bed in their exact and proper positions is assured and their after adjustment in position rendered unnecessary.

Not only is my apparatus adapted for raising rails, 620., up to an elevated way or bridgecrown for deposit in position thereon, in which case, of course, a plurality of the frame represented in the d rawingsone for each end of the rail or bridge section would be employed, as will be readily undcrstoodbnt it is equally well adapted for simultaneously or individually raising one end of a track or single rail thereof for repair or other purposes, for raising and lowering said rails either when disconnected from or jointly with the thereto connected timbers or ties constituting the roadbed of a bridge, or for raising and lowering said timbers or ties and raising and lowering other articles.

In use the frame is placed in position with the bottom beam, 8, resting either upon the top of the cap of the bridge or upon a pair of adjacent piles or uprights thereof or in other suitable position, according to requirement and the position of the material to be raised or lowered. The weight of the braced frame and mechanism carried thereby will ordinarily be sufficient to maintain the same stead ily in upright position while in use, though, if desired, clamps or other securing devices may be employed to removably connect the 25 bottom beam to the bridge-structure. The screws i i are then through the medium of the levers, bars, or wheels 16 lowered to bring the grappling and gripping tongs 20 into gripping contact with the rail or rails or other article to be lowered or raised, whereupon the screws are again operated so as to travel in the desired vertical direction, their steady vertical movement bci n g insured by reason of. the guid- ITO ing action of the inclosing-braccs 1 1 and 2 2, between which said screws are contained and travel, as before explained. The height of the frame is snch-about four feet-that workmen of ordinary stature can readily reach and 0p crate the raising and lowering mechanism while standing on a level with the bottom 3.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is l. The raising and lowering device herein described, comprising a portable frame composed of a pair of uprights, a bottom beam connecting the same, a top beam resting upon the uprights and extending out beyond the same, andv brace-beams on opposite sides of 7 said frame and respectively connecting the top and bottom beams and uprights, lifting and lowering screws having bearings within and depending from the top beam, operating devices connected to said screws, and grappling tongs and chains flexibly conneetingsaid tongs and screws, substantially as set forth.

2. The portable frame herein described for supporting devices for raising or lowering railroad-rails or portions of a bridge or other structure, composed of a pair of uprights, a bottom beam connecting the lower ends of said uprights, a top beam resting upon and secured to the upper portion of said uprights and tending at each end horizontally beyond the same, and angular braces extending from the respective ends of said top beam to the bottom beam and connected thereto and to the uprights, substantially as set forth.

3. The portable rail raising and lowering device herein described, comprising a frame composed of uprights, a bottom upright connecting and supporting beam, a top beam supported by and extending longitudinally beyond said up rights, and brace-beams connecting said uprights and top and bottom beams, a pair of lifting-screws having bearings within the top beam a distance apart equal to the gage of the track, and grappling-tongs connected to said screws, substantially as set forth.

4-. The portable rail raising and lowering device herein described, comprising a frame composed of uprights, a bottom upright connecting and supporting beam, a top beam supported by and extendinglongitudinally beyond said uprights, and brace-beams connecting said uprights and top and bottom beams, a pair of liftingscrews having bearings within the top beam a distance apart equal to the gage of the track and having eyed lower ends, rail-grappling tongs, and chains flexibly connecting said tongs and the eyed lower ends of the raising and lowering screws together, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LEWIS H. WILLIAMS.

Witnesses: 

